War of the Wizards (20 page)

Taking a deep breath, you plunge a point of concentrated Sorcery into the doors. As the beam of energy hits the fabric of the stone, you realize that you will need to use a great deal of
WILLPOWER
before the doors will break. With a huge surge of energy you throw 5
WILLPOWER
points at the door.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you have the Magic Talisman of the Shianti, add 2 to the number you have picked.

If the total is 4 or more,
turn to 283
.

If the total is less than 4,
turn to 208
.

You charge towards the Shadakine ranks facing the bridge. They are surprised by the unexpected attack from behind, especially as it seems that they are attacked by one of their own kind. In a kind of mad desperation, you attempt to force a passage through the swirling mass, pulling off your helmet to show the Masbaté on the bridge that you have returned. There are a great number of Shadakine standing between you and the bridge. You must fight them as one enemy and to the death. Owing to the initial surprise of your charge, you may add 3 to your
COMBAT SKILL
for the duration of this fight.

Shadakine Warriors:
COMBAT SKILL
 22   
ENDURANCE
 40

If you win the combat,
turn to 353
.

You continue east. When you next look over your shoulder, the figure has vanished. An uneasy feeling stirs inside you. You quicken your pace. As the sun slowly crosses the sky, the heat becomes less intense and walking becomes easier. Nevertheless, you grow more anxious as the evening approaches for you have seen no trace of a stream or water hole and you will never find one at night. You can survive without food for some time but you must find water soon.

If you are carrying the Moonstone in your hand,
turn to 81
.

If you are carrying it in your Backpack,
turn to 213
.

A plume of fiery light shoots from your Staff and hits a two-headed man shape with a black horn in the centre of each brow. It falls dead, wreathed in magical fire. The nine that remain continue to shamble towards you but, when they have come within ten spaces, they suddenly scatter in all directions, shielding their grotesque faces and twisting to avoid the light of the Moonstone. The next moment they have vanished, teleporting to the portal that lies somewhere in the Hills of Tilos. Your magical attack has cost you 2
WILLPOWER
points.

Turn to 237
.

The chariot careers along a wild and unpredictable course. Desperately you try to judge its next turn as it bears down upon you.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. Add this number to your current
ENDURANCE
total.

If the total is 12 or more,
turn to 199
.

If the total is less than 12,
turn to 263
.

The night has grown old before you arrive at the torchlit entrance to a cave in the Kashima Mountains. Dioka leads you through a maze of winding passageways in the rock and eventually you come to a wide cavern. At the far end of the cavern, mounted on a rough-hewn dais of stone is a large throne. Sat upon the throne is the Masbaté king deep in thought, his hand cupping his broad jaw. Suddenly your heart lifts. You recognize this man!

‘My lord,’ Dioka begins. The king lifts his great head. ‘May I present!’

But the sentence is never finished, for the king is none other than Samu himself. ‘Grey Star!’ he cries, rising to his feet. ‘You live!’

Before you can speak a word, King Samu leaps from the stone dais and bounds towards you, sweeping you up in a bone-crunching embrace. ‘Seven years, Grey Star,’ he booms. ‘Seven years since last we stood together. We thought that you perished long ago, deep in the caverns of Desolation Valley. What became of your search for the Shadow Gate of the Daziarn — did you succeed after all? Did you find the Moonstone of the Shianti? What has happened since you stepped upon the wasted lands beyond the Lissan Mountains?’

He hugs you once again, squeezing the air from your lungs. When you have regained sufficient breath to speak, you explain what has happened to you since you were separated, and of how the passage of time runs differently on the Daziarn Plane. ‘I have but recently returned,’ you say. ‘And behold!’ You draw out the Moonstone. ‘I succeeded. Look you upon Shasarak's bane — the Moonstone of the Shianti.’

A great noise fills the hall as the Masbaté warriors clash their weapons and call out their battle cries. The Moonstone blazes with a vivid white light that illuminates the whole hall and the faces of the fierce Masbaté. Samu draws his own sword with a great cry. ‘The final battle begins,’ he bellows. ‘Revenge will be ours. Death to the Shadakine! Death to the Shadakine Wytches … and death to the Wytch-king, Shasarak, foe of the Masbaté and the Shianti, enemy of all life itself!’

The great chamber echoes with the ferocious cries of the Masbaté warriors. When the clamour has died down, you and Tanith are led to chambers within the mountainside, there to eat and rest. The following morning you will meet King Samu to discuss ways in which the Masbaté can aid you in your struggle against Shasarak. You drift off to sleep that night with your spirits lifted. Tomorrow you must ensure the safety of the Army of the Freedom Guild before the Shadakine force, due to move in two days, is able to march against it. You know now that you will not have to face that peril alone.

Turn to 298
.

You brace yourself to receive the first of the fearsome beasts, a large Flying Snake. You watch as it gains sufficient height for its dive. The stallion prances nervously, shifting this way and that; it is difficult to control.

If you have 2
WILLPOWER
points and wish to release a long-range attack at the Flying Snake,
turn to 111
.

If not,
turn to 152
.

Suddenly the wounded creature gives vent to a maniacal screech and all four throw themselves at you. Staff swinging, you rise to meet their challenge, a lone figure besieged by hell-borne minions of insane ferocity.

Turn to 264
.

The chariot is veering crazily. It is impossible to judge which way it will swerve next. It turns abruptly and heads towards you. Your senses are slow to react and you are unable to move quickly enough to avoid the oncoming rush of the chariot. You are trampled to death by the horses.

Your adventure ends here.

With an energy borne of sheer desperation, you send a volley of blows at the beasts with your Wizard's Staff. You cannot evade combat.

Four Demons of the Plains:
COMBAT SKILL
 21   
ENDURANCE
 34

If you win the combat,
turn to 281
.

Two more attacks follow on the stallion rather than yourself. Its pure white coat is stained with blood and you can feel its pace begin to falter.

You see a small, winged ape circle above you and shoot downwards. At the last moment it slows its descent, grabbing hold of the horse's harness and tugging it violently. You struggle and twist in the saddle and try to aim a blow at the gibbering creature without falling from the horse. The stallion stumbles but does not fall.

Winged Ape:
COMBAT SKILL
 22   
ENDURANCE
 16

If the combat lasts for three rounds, do not continue the combat but
turn immediately to 206
.

If you win the combat in one or two rounds,
turn to 68
.

At the cost of 1
WILLPOWER
point you close your eyes and concentrate. Your senses reach out and search. In the hills beyond, a terrible evil waits, a malevolent, unthinking, yet strangely natural evil. A dark force lies in wait for you! You are expected.

Turn to 274
.

Tense with anticipation, you wait for the lone figure to arrive. It is humanoid in shape and you notice that it moves with a strange shambling gait. Suddenly it comes to an abrupt halt … and vanishes! A thrill of fear runs down your spine: There is an unfamiliar magic at work. Tanith gives you a questioning look but says nothing. With a shrug you continue on your way, the mystery unresolved.

Turn to 36
.

Even as Agarash's words are fading, a tumultuous roar fills the air: the demon host is roused into a frenzy. Instinctively the Simar steed turns and thunders up the slope of the valley, heading east. The howling pack spring forward in pursuit, possessed of a savage fury instilled in them by their master. The terrified stallion flies like the wind out of the Tilos Hills and onto the even plain. The countryside rushes past in a blur of green. Now you must head for the pass in the mountains to the east, a patch of forest among the hills.

Almost fifty miles lie between you and the pass. You look over your shoulder to see that the enraged beasts are beginning to dwindle in the distance as the Simar's broad, rolling gait eats up the miles. The horse's coat gleams with sweat and there is foam around its mouth but it no longer moves with the madness of a runaway.

If you wish to stop for a while,
turn to 31
.

If you wish to continue as you are until you reach the pass,
turn to 47
.

The horseman thunders towards you. You brace yourself.

Shadakine Horseman:
COMBAT SKILL
 19   
ENDURANCE
 20

Combat lasts for only one round, as the speed of his charge carries him past you.

If you kill the horseman,
turn to 17
.

If not,
turn to 33
.

The dark, fearsome shape stands before you, towering at least ten feet high. It has the head of a large bull and wisps of smoke curl from its flaming nostrils. Its eyes burn with a terrible intensity that fills your heart with dread as it lifts its horned head and roars. It stretches its broad bat wings, throwing a cloak of shadow over you. The demons that fill the hall are but minions of this fierce master. Before you are able to summon magical forces to combat this awesome foe, the Demon Master lunges forward on its cloven feet. Its grasping, clawed hands reach out, hungry to squeeze the life from your body. You may not evade this combat.

Illustration XV
—The Demon Master lunges forward on its cloven feet.

Demon Master:
COMBAT SKILL
 30   
ENDURANCE
 40

If you defeat the Demon Master in three rounds or less,
turn to 188
.

If the combat lasts for four rounds and you are still alive, do not continue the combat but
turn immediately to 276
.

Moving at a slow trot, you journey into the hills. After travelling for half an hour or so you hear a low murmuring of strange, inhuman voices. As you crest the next hill, you find that you are looking down a gentle slope that leads into a shallow valley. With horror, you see that the floor of the valley is a crawling, writhing mass of demons. Never before have you seen such a damnable pit of diabolic malevolence. Every conceivable distortion of human and animal life waits there, grotesque combinations of many different beasts.

A thousand corrupt faces look up at you where you sit, mounted on the great white stallion, atop the highest ridge of the valley. Even the stolid nerves of the Simar steed are shaken and it stamps and snorts in distress. A sinister moan of disquiet ripples through the ranks of the cursed creatures. It is a dreadful sound. You sway in the saddle, such is the force of such a concentrated pool of evil, all focused upon you. An unconquerable tide of fear wells up inside you.

If your current
WILLPOWER
total is 20 or more,
turn to 284
.

If your current
WILLPOWER
total is less than 20,
turn to 44
.